


Seongwang

by t_dragon



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Adventure, Age Difference, Age Swap, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Coup d'état, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Final Fantasy XV Inspired, M/M, Minor Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai, Steampunk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:34:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26000479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_dragon/pseuds/t_dragon
Summary: Since before he was even born, Chanyeol had been destined to rule the great kingdom of Goguryeo, entrusted with keeping it safe. So when an annoying little brat suddenly forces his way into Chanyeol's very own throne room, claiming to be the descendant of a since long dead clan and forcing Chanyeol to go on a long journey to determine if the ridiculous claim is true, Chanyeol doesn't think it's too strange that he's a bit miffed by it all.Or is even more miffed when the long journey is turned even longer through yet another betrayal.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Kudos: 4
Collections: EXOventure Round 1 2020





	1. 국내성 / Gungnaeseong

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, big thank you to the mods for allowing me to post even though this is, clearly, unfinished! It's been one heck of a journey for sure...  
> Secondly, this is a self-prompt, and, uh... I don't know what else to say except for I hope y'all enjoy? Even through all of the ups and downs I've been having with this, it's been a lot of fun and I'm honestly looking forwards to continuing and finishing this! Please have some patience with me, I promise I'll finish as soon as possible!

Chanyeol had always enjoyed festivities.

When he was younger, he had enjoyed running around out on the palace grounds, sampling all of the food he could, marvelling over the amazing bursts of colour across the sky as the night grew dark enough for the fireworks.

And now as he was older, Chanyeol enjoyed watching his people mingle around him, happiness and delight filling the air, various entertainment acts being performed in front of him.

Today they were celebrating his late mother, Wanghu Youngmi, and Chanyeol could not help but feel a bit wistful. It had been a few years since she died now, but he still missed her greatly. He had never known his father, and his sister had since long taken over the throne of Silla, leaving them with barely any opportunity to meet. Like now - the both of them celebrating their mother but so very far from each other, Chanyeol in Gungnae and Yoora in Seorabeol.

As the musicians finished playing his mother’s favourite song, Chanyeol made sure to properly show his approval and gratefulness as he joined in on the applauding. They truly had performed it beautifully, and Chanyeol could admit that his eyes had misted slightly from it.

Suddenly, the doors were slammed open, one single figure entering. Silence reigned for a moment, before confused whispers filled its place as the lone man took long strides towards where Chanyeol was seated on his throne.

Black hair shielded the man’s eyes, but leaving visible lips pursed in determination and a clenched jaw. He was dressed in all black, standing out against the rest of the people gathered in the throne room.

Confused, Chanyeol exchanged a glance with Sehun, who stepped forwards with his eyebrows furrowed.

“Halt!” Sehun called out, holding a hand up.

The man took a few more defiant steps before coming to a stop, almost a bit too close for comfort for Chanyeol. The man seemed a breath from hostile, and Chanyeol did not want him close enough to be able to act on anything before anyone else noticed or managed to stop him.

“Bow before the Seongwang,” Sehun ordered - and then a muted snort was heard.

The stranger finally lifted his chin, staring straight at Chanyeol with fierce eyes.

“You’re no king of mine, I won’t bow for you,” he said in a husky voice, the words clear as they reached Chanyeol even across the slight distance between them.

“State your business before I forcefully remove you,” Sehun ordered, annoyance having slipped into his tone, but Chanyeol could not blame him.

He was certainly feeling some of that annoyance too.

The stranger’s gaze never left Chanyeol, fully ignoring Sehun even though he did continue to answer. He just made sure to let Chanyeol know exactly who he  _ really _ was talking to.

“I’m here to challenge you for your throne,” the stranger called out, lips twitching into the barest of smirks as he added one last word, twisting it into a mockery. “ _ Seongwang. _ ”

A collective gasp went through everyone gathered, with Chanyeol freezing in place as silence descended once more. But this time around, the silence stayed, like an oppressive blanket covering everyone and pressing down.

“You cannot be serious,” was what finally left Chanyeol’s lips, followed by a humourless snort. “What claim could you possibly even have to it?”

Absently, Chanyeol noted how the stranger’s hands clenched into fists before releasing again.

“My claim is birthright,” was the answer the stranger gave. “By my name, I claim the throne as mine through birthright.”

“And what would your name be, to give you that birthright?” Chanyeol asked, feeling more done with this by the second.

“Byun Baekhyun.”

The throne room exploded around them, confused and angry outcries filling the air, but Chanyeol could barely even hear it. He was a bit too occupied with staring at the man standing in front of him, making ridiculous claims without even flinching, gaze just as steely as when he had first looked up, if yet a bit tainted by nerves. And Chanyeol realized that no matter what the truth was, this man truly believed every word he said.

At the corner of his eyes, Chanyeol saw Jongin move towards the man, and the part of him that was not shocked speechless wondered what orders he should give. Because Chanyeol had thought that Jongin was moving to possibly restrain the stranger - but as the guard came to a stop next to the black-haired man, Chanyeol realized that it was something completely different.

But it was the movement on Chanyeol’s other side that had his jaw drop, pure disbelief filling him. Betrayal spread through his veins like ice as he slowly turned to watch  _ Kyungsoo _ step down from the dais to join Jongin and the unknown man.

“Seongwang?” Sehun suddenly asked, bringing Chanyeol out of his daze of disbelief, and looking up at the captain, Chanyeol saw the worry in his eyes.

Trying to gather himself, because he could not just let personal feelings overwhelm him like this, Chanyeol sat up straighter and cleared his throat, keeping his gaze focused on the unfamiliar man.

“Do you have any proof of your claim?” Chanyeol asked, getting a firm nod in response.

Slowly, as if to make sure he was not seen as more of a threat than he already was, the man unwound a long strip of fabric from around his wrist, revealing a vambrace. Doing the same to his other arm, the man then held them up to show the designs.

“These are the armills of the Byun clan,” the man proclaimed. “They were worn by my great great great grandfather when he was betrayed and killed, given to his son before dying. They have been passed down ever since, and were given to me, the last heir, by my dying mother, Byun Eunyoung.”

Standing up, Chanyeol descended from his dais, slowly and with obvious intent behind each step, until he came to a stop in front of the man. It was then that Chanyeol noticed that he was taller, having the man have to look up to keep eye contact - and that the man was barely more than a  _ boy. _

As Chanyeol reached out towards one of the boy’s arms, the other startled, looking as if he was about to take a step back but managing to stop himself. He did try to move his arms out of reach, though, making Chanyeol stop.

“Let me see your armills,” Chanyeol requested, voice not really leaving any other option for the boy. “I can’t just take your word for it.”

Seemingly contemplating this for a moment, the boy stared at Chanyeol with that same defiance in his gaze, and a whole lot of bravado. And Chanyeol could not help but wonder how much of it was real, and how much was a front the boy was putting up to  _ seem _ more insolent than he actually was. Because Chanyeol could still see some of those nerves that he had glimpsed before - giving Chanyeol some comfort in knowing that he was still imposing and intimidating enough.

Slowly, the boy held one of his arms out, tension obvious as Chanyeol grabbed it. Ignoring that, Chanyeol focused instead on the armill. It was very obviously a beautiful piece of work, and Chanyeol recognized some of the decorations, but he also knew that he would need the help of someone else to fully identify it. He knew some of the Byun clan’s history, but he was not confident enough in his limited knowledge to say if the armills were authentic or not.

“Everyone leave,” Chanyeol called out, still holding on to the boy.

A moment went past, before people began to scramble around them, hurrying towards the exit. Left behind were only Chanyeol and the boy, Chanyeol’s guards - and Kyungsoo and Jongin. Not enjoying that part too much, Chanyeol threw them quick glares, before turning towards one of the guards.

“Fetch the oracle,” he ordered, getting a bow in return before the guard rushed out to do as instructed.

Feeling a tug, Chanyeol released the arm still in his grip, watching as the boy held it close to his chest, almost looking as if he was giving a petulant little pout. He really was young, huh? Seemed that as soon as most of the spectating crowd had disappeared, so had most of the boy’s bravado.

It did not take long before the guard returned, followed by the oracle. Obviously curious about the situation and why she had been interrupted in her duties, her gaze flitted between the gathered people as she walked up to them, bowing as she reached them.

“Seongwang,” she greeted, and Chanyeol felt a bitter taste fill his mouth at the word, “you called for me?”

“I’m in need of your services,” Chanyeol said, nodding towards the boy. “He’s claiming he’s of the Byun clan, and that he’s wearing their royal armills.

The oracle’s eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly got herself under control. Smiling, she raised her hands, palms facing up.

“Would you mind me looking at them?” she asked.

The boy looked rather hesitant, but in the end placing his forearms in the oracle’s hands, most likely realizing that it was a  _ necessary evil _ to prove his identity.

Gently turning the boy’s arms back and forth to be able to properly appraise the armills, before turning to Chanyeol.

“These are indeed the royal armills of the Byun clan,” the oracle spoke up, a tiny wrinkle between her eyebrows. “But that does not necessarily have to mean that this is the scion of Dongmyeong of Goguryeo.”

The boy began to protest, tone offended, but Chanyeol held up a hand to silence him.

“What do you suggest we do?” Chanyeol asked, hoping that the oracle would have an answer.

Because Chanyeol had no idea what to do, how to even handle the situation.

Humming, the oracle tilted her head, eyes turning vacant as she most likely looked to the gods for an answer to give Chanyeol. Turning, she walked over to one of the braziers inside of the room, moving a hand above the flames - and in the next moment, white smoke rose from it.

“You’ll set out on a journey, to find the Chamber of the Gods at the fortress ruin of Namhan,” the oracle began, waving a hand and causing the white smoke to bend and create a vague image of a mountain. “There you will find a sword, and that sword will show the truth about who the rightful heir to the throne is.”

Glancing over at Chanyeol, eyes wide, the boy blinked innocently. Such a drastic change from the bold and resolved person who had challenged Chanyeol in his very own throne room.

“So, hm, I guess we’ll be travelling together…?” he said, sounding rather unsure, and Chanyeol almost scoffed.

Instead, Chanyeol merely gave a curt nod, before turning on his heel and calmly walking outside. Even though he wanted to run, slam doors behind him - but that behavior was not befitting for a king. And king Chanyeol still was.

Chanyeol had been so engrossed in his own thoughts that he did not even realize that Sehun had rushed out after him, until the captain jogged up beside him.

“Do you think this is smart?”

Chanyeol glanced over at Sehun, entering another corridor before giving his answer.

“I’m not sure what I think,” he said in a low voice.

Sehun hummed. “That’s understandable, me neither… But still, do you really think it’s smart to go on a trip, alone, with the boy that’s out to dethrone you?”

“No,” Chanyeol simply said, opening a door and stepping through before continuing. “It’s not smart, but I’m not going alone. You’re coming with.”

Coming to a sudden stop, Sehun blinked at Chanyeol in confusion for a few moments, before moving after him again, pointing to himself. “Me? I’m coming with you?”

“You are, yes,” Chanyeol confirmed, giving a shrug. “Since you’ve yet to betray me, you’re my closest friend, as well as someone I’d trust to have my back,” Chanyeol explained, before lowering his voice into a dark mutter. “Maybe that’s foolish of me, considering things…”

The air changed around them, into something much more somber that Chanyeol really did not feel like having to deal with right now.

“Seongwang-” Sehun began, but Chanyeol held up a hand to interrupt him.

“Please, don’t,” Chanyeol whispered, exhaling heavily. “I’ll just pray that my judgement of character isn’t always as wrong.”

Sehun looked like he wanted to say more, eyebrows knitted together above his eyes, but he simply nodded. Grateful, Chanyeol gave a nod back, before turning towards the content of the room they had entered.

He had only worn this outfit a few times, and had wished there would not be many more, but apparently it was time to once more bring it out.

His armour looked more pristine than it had last time he had seen it, having been cleaned and repaired after he had taken it off for the last time. It almost felt like a shame, having to dirty the deep reds and midnight blacks again. But situations similar to the one he currently was in were the reasons for why he even required an armour

“I would recommend something less…  _ Blatant _ , Seongwang,” Sehun spoke up, having Chanyeol look up at him in question. “We’re apparently going on a quest to find a magical sword, going in full regalia might draw too much unnecessary attention.”

Chanyeol gave a soft snort at that, brushing his fingers against the gleaming bronze. “You  _ do _ have a point… This is all I have, though.”

“Because the king can’t have new armour made for him,” Sehun said, and glancing up Chanyeol caught the look Sehun had pinned him with. “No matter, I think we can have some regular armour fitted to you instead of making a whole new set. If you don’t mind looking like one of your guards, of course.”

Chuckling, Chanyeol took one last look at his armour, before following Sehun outside again.


	2. 남한산성 / Namhansanseong

Three days later everything had been prepared and arranged for the journey. Chanyeol had had an armour fitted to him, the leather outfit rather unfamiliar to him, yet more comfortable than the memory of his royal armour. The leather was not as heavy, and his range of motion felt improved as well.

“Of course, you’re supposed to be better protected and look more flashy, while we take care of the enemies, Seongwang,” Sehun had said when Chanyeol had shared his thoughts. “Big shiny armour makes you look more intimidating.”

“So I’m just a piece to parade around to hopefully inspire fear in our enemies and help win the battle that way?” Chanyeol had asked, not at all liking the way Sehun tried to contain a smile.

“Well, Seongwang, you said it, not me,” Sehun finally settled on saying as he shrugged, and he was lucky he had grown up with Chanyeol, or else his insolent little butt would have suffered.

They gathered out in the courtyard, together yet somewhat separated into groups of allegiance. And the opposing group had barely arrived before Baekhyun gasped and half-jogged over towards the vehicle they were supposed to travel in.

“What is  _ this? _ ” Baekhyun asked, wonder in his voice as he raised a hand towards the shiny black metal. Before Chanyeol could tell him to not touch, though, Baekhyun had already stopped himself, as if scared to touch.

“An automobile,” Kyungsoo answered. “Like a carriage, but without the horses, instead running on steam.”

“This is amazing…,” Baekhyun said in a hushed voice. “Can I try it?”

“No,” everyone gathered immediately answered, making a rather nice choir.

Startling, Baekhyun looked over at them, eyes wide with confusion.

“W-what, why not?” he asked.

“I’m not going to let you handle the vehicle my Seongwang is riding in without ever having handled one,” was Sehun’s answer.

“You’re way too reckless and I don’t want to risk my life,” was Kyungsoo’s answer.

“These are rare and I don’t want to go by horseback if you manage to crash it,” was Jongin’s answer.

“Because you’re too young and I don’t feel like putting my life in a kid’s hands,” was Chanyeol’s answer.

“I’m not a kid!” Baekhyun protested as he shot upright - looking very much like a petulant child. “The other’s I can understand, but I’m not a kid! I’m twenty!”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Chanyeol gave  _ the kid _ the most deadpan look that he could.

“So you have  _ just _ crossed the line into adulthood, with barely any life experience?” Chanyeol said. “More or less a kid to me.”

“You have no idea about my life,” Baekhyun muttered as he turned away, and Chanyeol got the distinct feeling that he had touched a sore spot.

A part of him felt bad about it - but at the same time, Baekhyun was here to steal Chanyeol’s entire life away, so Chanyeol pushed that other side of himself away.

“Will we all fit inside?” Jongin spoke up, looking a bit doubtful.

“Of course we will,” Chanyeol answered, motioning towards the front of the automobile. “The ones with the longer legs will take turns in the front seats to prevent being too cramped.”

“In other words, us  _ shorties _ will have to suffer through this journey in the backseat?” Kyungsoo said, sounding rather vexed.

“Essentially, yes,” Chanyeol said as he walked over to the door for the front passenger seat, not sparing Kyungsoo a single glance. “It’s simple logic, really. Sehun?”

With a nod, Sehun headed for the driver’s side. He had the most experience with operating the automobile, after all, another logical point to having him at the front.

After the rest piled themselves into the backseat, it was finally time to go. And as Sehun started the automobile and began their journey, Chanyeol could not help but keep his gaze on the palace buildings they drove past.

Maybe this would be the last time he saw them when they still belonged to him.

His heart breaking, Chanyeol finally turned away, focusing his eyes on the road ahead of them. This was far from over yet, he could still be the rightful king.

The atmosphere inside of the automobile stayed tense throughout the day. It was not so strange, after all, considering just  _ why _ they were in the position they were, but Chanyeol wished he could be spared the light headache he had developed by the time the sun was starting to dip lower in the sky.

“This seems to be a good area to stop in, Seongwang,” Sehun mumbled, and Chanyeol nodded his agreement.

He probably should have asked the rest of the group for their input, but Chanyeol just wanted to get out of the automobile, get some fresh air and be able to stretch his legs out. Because even with the extra space of the front seat, it was still somewhat cramped, and Chanyeol was not used to riding in the automobile.

Slowing down, Sehun turned off the road, coming to a stop in front of the edge of the forest. Almost as soon as the vehicle was parked, Chanyeol was opening the door and getting out, sighing as the cooler air wrapped around him. The automobile for sure beat travelling around by horse-back, but there were still some drawbacks to it.

“Okay, let’s divide the tasks to set up camp as quickly as possible,” came Sehun’s voice, clearly taking on the lead of setting everything up, which Chanyeol did not mind in the least. He knew his own strengths as well as Sehun’s, and Sehun was better fitted for this for sure. “Our biggest priority is to get a fire going.”

“I’ll go find some firewood,” Chanyeol called out, getting a hesitant nod by Sehun.

The guard captain did not seem too keen on letting Chanyeol out of his sight, but he seemed to sense that Chanyeol needed some time alone, and Chanyeol appreciated being allowed to get some of that alone time. After all, they would for sure be few and far between from now on.

Turning, Chanyeol headed towards the forest. Behind him, some arguments were started, but since they did not seem to be too serious, Chanyeol simply ignored it.

Something he should not have done, or else he would not have been so surprised when someone suddenly spoke up behind him.

“Seongwang, can we talk?”

Startling slightly, Chanyeol spun around to find Kyungsoo standing behind him, a troubled look on his face. He seemed nervous, too, but Chanyeol could not quite find it in himself to care. The loss of his friend was still too fresh, too sore.

“No, we can’t, audience denied,” Chanyeol answered, almost spitting the words out. “Go back to the others, I don’t need any help either.”

“Chanyeol, please-” Kyungsoo begged - and Chanyeol snapped.

“Please what, Kyungsoo?” Chanyeol exclaimed as he whirled around to face a wide-eyed Kyungsoo. “Was it not enough to play me and make me believe we were friends, just to turn around and betray me? I have to say, you’re an amazing actor, because I truly believed you actually cared.”

“I did care! I  _ do _ care! Yes, I went into your court with ulterior motives, but they were only to keep an eye on what was happening, not to fool you into believing anything more than me not being a spy,” Kyungsoo almost yelled, hands clenched into fists, and Chanyeol absently wondered if he was about to be hit. “I was never tasked with getting you to like me so I could extract information or force you to do something, our friendship was not something made up to manipulate you! It was real, from the very first moment!”

“How do you expect me to believe that, Kyungsoo?” Chanyeol sneered. “You were sent as a spy to my court, so how do you expect me to believe that you’re now actually telling the truth? You know what, just save it. I can’t deal with this right now, just let me be.”

With that, Chanyeol turned and walked away, and thankfully Kyungsoo did not try to come after him.

Coming to a stop some way away, making sure he was still close enough to be easily found - or else he knew Sehun would have his head - Chanyeol found a fallen tree lying on the outer edge of a glade. Sitting down on it with a deep sigh, Chanyeol looked up at the sky, silently asking the stars why they had decided on making his life suddenly so challenging.

The stars unfortunately did not answer.

At the sound of footsteps coming closer, Chanyeol glanced to the side, almost groaning out loud at the appearance of Jongin. Well… At least he was the less evil of the betrayers.

“What do you want?” Chanyeol asked, words barely more than a sigh. “If you want me to apologize, or make amends, or anything like that, you can save your breath.”

But Jongin shook his head at that, hands clasped behind his back. “I’m not here for that. I just want you to know that we decided it would be better to challenge the claim to the throne this way instead of through force like the original plan. We saw how rational you were, and didn’t want to cause unnecessary pain and death.”

Chanyeol had not expected that, feeling a pang in his heart at the words, but he forced himself not to show anything.

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” he asked instead.

“Yeah, it is. Through you being a kind and wise king, you helped stop a hostile invasion, keeping the people safe,” Jongin earnestly replied. “No matter what the outcome of this is, that will be made sure to be remembered.”

Chanyeol scoffed at that, almost throwing in an eyeroll as well, because really?

“History is written by the victors,” Chanyeol bitterly muttered, not at all liking this conversation.

Why did it already feel as if he had given up? Why did it feel like this tiny twenty year old had already proven himself to be the rightful king? Chanyeol  _ was _ still the king, and he still had a shot at  _ being _ the rightful king.

“And if the  _ victor _ is Baekhyun, your character will stay true to the original. He was the one who managed to convince his uncle, after all,” Jongin said, shrugging rather nonchalantly for the words he had just said, Chanyeol had to say. “Even with his upbringing he’s stayed rational and good-hearted, you know. You’re actually pretty alike, the two of you.”

And with that, Jongin walked away, leaving Chanyeol with only his thoughts and the unresponsive stars for company.

They were finally on the last stretch of their journey, after two days of strained travelling. Chanyeol honestly could not be happier, so ready to either go back to Gungnae or repatriate to Seorabeol. He just wanted this to be over and done with, and in just a little while longer it finally would be.

Baekhyun was the first one to spot the fortress ruin, sitting by the window in the backseat behind Chanyeol.

“Is that where we’re going?” he asked in a hushed voice, Chanyeol glancing out the window too before focusing back on the road as he was the one driving.

“Yes.”

The fortress ruin of Namhan did not look like much nowadays, but Chanyeol had seen paintings of it in its glory days. It had been magnificent, looking so strong, able to protect even against the harshest of enemies.

And then, as the clan of Byun had fallen, so had Namhansanseong.

The road winded its way up the mountain, until they arrived at their destination, rolling to a stop outside of the crumbling wall. Turning the automobile off, Chanyeol took a deep breath, before exiting the car, hearing the other doors being opened as well.

Silence reigned for several long seconds, until Baekhyun - of course - broke it.

“I have to say, this isn’t quite what I expected,” he mumbled, making Chanyeol look over at him with a raised eyebrow.

“What  _ did _ you expect?” Chanyeol asked.

Baekhyun gave a little shrug at that. “Maybe something…  _ Grander _ , I guess? If it’s supposed to contain a Chamber of the Gods, then I expect something a bit more magnificent.”

“It used to be. Once upon a time it was a magnificent fortress,” Chanyeol said, heading towards the back of the automobile. “And then the Byun clan fell, and Namhansanseong was one of the first fortresses to fall.”

Chanyeol had honestly expected to get some kind of response, but all he got was silence from Baekhyun. And even though he was curious, he did not look behind, simply joining Sehun by the trunk, accepting his revolvers and checking them before holstering them.

Distributing the weapons took only a few minutes, checks being performed in silence, before they were all geared up and ready to go.

“Ready?” Chanyeol asked, getting nods for replies, and with a soft sigh he turned back to face the fortress ruin. “Let’s go, then.”

It took them some time to manage to find a proper way inside, a route that was not blocked off and that would actually lead them into the heart of the ruin. And once inside, they had to fight off some minor cave dweller creatures, obviously having been drawn to the mostly sturdy fortress. They were not more than a light hazzle to the five of them, though, all having at least some form of training, being able to handle their weapons of choice comfortably.

Maybe two hours later, they finally arrived at the large, decorated doors leading into the Chamber of the Gods. The oxidized bronze doors were showing various scenes being played out, and Chanyeol could recognize some myths amongst them after a quick look.

“Please step back, Seongwang, in case there are traps set up,” Sehun said as he stepped up to one of the doors. “Jongin. You might be a traitor, but you’re officially still part of the guards, so you might as well do your sworn duty and protect the Seongwang by helping me.”

It was obvious that Jongin did not appreciate Sehun’s harsh words, but he did not say a word about it. Instead, he motioned for Baekhyun and Kyungsoo to step back, before taking the place by the second door, nodding at Sehun. Counting to three, they then slowly pulled the doors open, the screeching sound of metal against stone echoing around them and almost having Chanyeol slap his hands over his ears.

Then the noise came to a stop as Sehun and Jongin stopped pulling, and all five of them stood in silence, waiting to see if anything would happen. When nothing did, a collective breath seemed to be let out, and they all looked over at each other, before carefully moving towards the entrance, coming to a stop on the ledge on the other side of the doors overlooking the room.

A curved stone staircase descended into the room, following along one of the walls, and Chanyeol headed towards it. He was quickly overtaken by Sehun, though, who sent him a stern look before starting to walk down the staircase, Chanyeol rolling his eyes as he followed after.

Honestly, nothing had happened so far, nothing would probably happen now either, Sehun was being a bit too overprotective.

The floor they stepped down on was beautiful, tiles still rather vibrant though they had obviously faded with age. They had for sure held up much better than what Chanyeol suspected was supposed to be paintings hanging on the walls, that were barely more than a few chunks  _ just _ clinging together.

Several statues were standing around, statues of mythological beings and legends, arranged as if protecting something valuable, which Chanyeol guessed was true. They  _ were _ protecting something incredibly valuable, after all.

And Chanyeol had expected that they would have to look for clues on how to open a magical compartment or something to find the sword they were supposed to find - he had very much  _ not _ expected to find it out in the open, in the center of the room, without anything to protect it from the wear of time, potential thieves, or probable landslides.

“I guess this is it…,” Baekhyun said in a hushed voice, staring at the sword seemingly balancing on its very tip all by itself. “I’m slightly more impressed by the Chamber of the Gods now.”

“We’ll stay over here, we don’t want to interfere with anything,” Kyungsoo said, making Chanyeol glance over at him, before looking up at Sehun. “Oh, for the… This isn’t some intricate plan to kill you and take over your throne, we’re staying over here to make  _ sure _ we won’t accidentally affect the outcome.”

Chanyeol and Sehun were still looking at each other during Kyungsoo’s little explanation, and after another tense second, Sehun gave a hesitant nod. It seemed to be okay, and Chanyeol trusted that Sehun would have his back. Nodding back, Chanyeol turned towards the sword again, glancing down at Baekhyun before moving forwards.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Baekhyun startle, before hurrying after him as well.

The closer they got to the sword, the  _ stranger _ the atmosphere became. Not stranger in a bad way, but rather… Incredibly powerful. The sword radiated power, softly tickling Chanyeol’s skin, and he was honestly not sure it was a power he wanted to possess.

Was it a power anyone should be able to possess?

It did not take long before they were by the sword, standing across from each other to stare at it. It was a beautiful piece of work, truly, simplistic in the best of ways, not gaudily overworked. A magnum opus of a master smith.

“Are you nervous too?”

Frowning in confusion, Chanyeol looked over at Baekhyun. Glancing up at him, Baekhyun gave a small smile.

“I might have trained for this very moment, but it doesn't mean I can't be nervous, you know. It’s a big deal, everything in my life has led up to this, and there’s all this doubt. I might not actually be who I claim to be…”

Snorting, Chanyeol looked back down at the sword, a small smile tugging at his lips. Such a strange man…

“I'm nervous too.”

“That makes me feel better,” Baekhyun said with a soft chuckle, raising his hand and holding it in the air just above the hilt. “On three?”

“One,” Chanyeol said, raising his hand and holding it in the same position as Baekhyun.

“Two,” Baekhyun said, glancing up at Chanyeol and nodding - the next one together.

“ _ Three! _ ”

At the same time, they closed their fists around the hilt - and then they were enveloped by light.

The fortress ruin around them ceased to exist, giving way for a craggy plain, some grass scattered around. There was a single tree standing off to the side, large and twisted with age, its leaves swaying softly in an invisible wind. Forming a circle around it all were several stones, a dozen or so, and none of them reaching probably further than to Chanyeol’s hip.

Chanyeol had never seen the place before, but it still felt so very familiar to him…

The sound of a loud cry had Chanyeol startle, looking up towards the sky. The sun was shining brightly, causing him to hold an arm up to shade his eyes and try to spot whatever it was that had made the loud sound, only catching a dark figure flying past.

A gasp had Chanyeol drop his gaze, to Baekhyun, who was staring at another part of the sky with his mouth dropped open. Following his gaze, Chanyeol felt shock run through him as he too caught sight of the  _ magnificent _ being hovering above them.

Slowly, the large fiery bird began to drop down, until it was within reach of Chanyeol, who held his hand out, palm up. Two clawed feet soon touched his skin, and pure fire poured into him, setting him ablaze from within.

Bonghwang. The protector of Silla.

Another sound, this one a mighty roar, suddenly echoed around the area where they were standing. Confused, Chanyeol looked up once more, catching the chilly fear in Baekhyun’s gaze. This was it, they were about to learn the truth of Baekhyun’s claimed heritage - and the younger looked  _ sick _ from the notion.

But Chanyeol could not blame him. After all, Baekhyun only knew what he had been taught, what he had seen, and neither of those could prove without a doubt what the blood running through his veins was. This, though, could. And Chanyeol could not imagine how terrifying it must be, to be at the point where you would either get confirmation of who you are, or find out you had no idea who you were.

Chanyeol’s bonghwang flapped its wings and gave another shrill cry, as if turning impatient and urging the other beast on, to show itself. And Chanyeol agreed - it was about time that it showed up. Baekhyun looked half a second away from passing out.

Another roar, this one so strong it had the ground vibrating beneath them, echoed - and then Baekhyun’s beast appeared. Flying in circles, it wrapped its body around Baekhyun, hid him from Chanyeol’s view at the same time as it obscured itself through its movements.

And then it slowed down, settling down around Baekhyun’s feet, showing off them both, and Chanyeol gasped down a hitched breath.

It was a yong. A yong was lying curled around Baekhyun’s form - Baekhyun himself shining almost as brightly as the sun, with long, silvery hair, dressed in shimmery white.

Baekhyun  _ was _ of the Byun clan, and Baekhyun  _ was _ the rightful heir to the throne of Goguryeo. The protector of Goguryeo itself made that more than clear.

Overwhelmed, Chanyeol sunk to his knees, unsure of what he was feeling. As if understanding the storm inside of his head, the bonghwang lifted from his hand, softly lowering itself to wrap comfortingly warm wings around his body, offering a bit of relief that Chanyeol gratefully accepted.

“Chanyeol? Are you okay?”

Blinking his eyes, his vision cleared, leaving behind raven-haired, dark-clad Baekhyun, standing leaned forwards and with a hand outstretched towards Chanyeol, worry in the crease between his eyebrows.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Chanyeol mumbled.

“Come on, then, let’s get you up,” Baekhyun said, smiling softly. “We can’t have the Seongwang kneeling in the dirt.”

“Not Seongwang,” Chanyeol replied, as he reached out to accept the offered help.

As their hands touched, ice cut through Chanyeol’s chest, before exploding into fire beneath his skin.

Baekhyun watched as the arrowhead dug its way deep into Chanyeol’s chest, eyes widening in horror. He had not even heard it, only realized what was happening too late, by the time it was already past him, touching Chanyeol.

The momentum throwing him backwards, Chanyeol fell to the ground. It seemed as if it was not until then that the pain actually registered, one of his hands flying up to clutch at the wound as a strangled scream made its way out past his lips. Snapping back into his body, Baekhyun scrambled down next to Chanyeol, trying to see if the arrow had managed to hit something important, eyes darting towards the direction where the shot had come from.

“Chanyeol!” Kyungsoo exclaimed, coming to a stop and falling to his knees on the opposite side to where Baekhyun was, Jongin and Sehun not far behind.

“His death would have been swifter and less painful had you not been standing in the way, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun stilled at the words being called out, unable to believe it yet not actually that surprised, because he  _ knew _ that voice.

“Uncle…?” he said, slowly turning to look at the man standing some way away, flanked by soldiers - the one next to him still with her bow raised. “Why?”

“You’ve proven to be the rightful heir,” his uncle said, as if it was as simple as that. “Which makes  _ you _ the king, not him.”

“That doesn’t mean that he has to die!” Baekhyun exclaimed, getting up on his feet as rage began to simmer beneath the surface of his skin.

“You foolish boy, of course it does!” his uncle snarled, taking a step forwards and fisting his hands. “He’s nothing but a filthy thief, and stealing is what thieves do! I’m just making sure you’re safe, nephew!”

“I  _ won’t _ stand for killing innocent people in paranoia!” Baekhyun snarled, feeling his fingertips start to tingle. “I have all the proof needed to validate my claim, and I know he’ll honor that! But it’s starting to look like you might not…”

Silence reigned for a moment as they just stared at each other, both brimming with fury.

“I knew my sister made a mistake by marrying that man and having  _ you _ ,” his uncle said, flexing his fingers as he seemed to force himself to calm down - the words cutting through Baekhyun’s very soul. “But that is fine. I’m still eligible for the throne, in the unfortunate case of you perishing. It was a very dangerous quest you set out on, after all, and we obviously arrived too late.”

Baekhyun scoffed in disbelief, completely unable to process the words. Was this really happening? Was his uncle, the man that had raised him, had told him of his lineage and made sure he would be ready for this very day, actually about to kill him?

As the archer notched another arrow, Baekhyun realized that yes, that was  _ exactly _ what was about to happen.

But Baekhyun would not go down without a fight.

“Kill them all,” his uncle ordered, before turning and leaving, barely even giving his nephew a last glance.

“Get Chanyeol out of the way,” Baekhyun ordered, voice clipped, not needing to look back to know that his request was fulfilled.

Two people joined Baekhyun at the front, and he glanced to his sides to find Kyungsoo and Jongin standing there, determined expressions on their faces - Kyungsoo with his hands bloodied.

Something began to thrum dangerously within Baekhyun, and reaching inside, he found an unknown yet so familiar presence. Even though he had never felt it before, it was extremely comforting knowing that it was there, that it was ready for this fight.

A near silent whistle was heard, snapping Baekhyun’s attention back to the present. Allowing his instincts to take control, he let the presence inside form in his hands - and in the next moment, the arrow was split apart, harmlessly flying past him.

Ah. So this was what true power felt like.

Chanyeol was so gone in his pain that he was barely able to stay conscious, but he tried to hold on. He knew that should he succumb to the darkness, his chances for survival would lessen drastically - and he would not be able to watch Baekhyun wield the First Sword.

It was mesmerizing, even through the haze, and Chanyeol could not look away. He knew that Baekhyun was skilled, had seen it before, but it had never looked like  _ this. _ He looked so light, the sword so perfect in his hands, as he cut through the soldiers alongside Kyungsoo and Jongin.

“Chanyeol, I need to pull the arrow out,” a voice said from above him, and Chanyeol forced himself to focus on the softly blurred Sehun.

Right. The arrow stuck in his chest. He knew that it had not done any major damage, it was not close enough for any of the major organs, but there was something wrong with it. He had been shot with arrows before, and they had  _ never _ felt like this.

“Do it,” Chanyeol rasped, throat so unnaturally dry.

Poison?

“This is going to hurt…,” Sehun mumbled, probably mostly to himself, and had Chanyeol been a bit more awake he would have laughed. Extracting an arrow in the middle of a battlefield, without the help of a doctor, hurt? Who would have expected that?

And then a raspy scream was torn from Chanyeol’s lips as something cut through him, seemingly expanding the wound and bringing with it more burning. He was so close to passing out, the darkness already having decreased his vision to about half of what it should be, when he finally felt some relief.

Gasping as the burning sensation lessened, Chanyeol blinked, managing to clear his sight enough to see the bloodied arrow grasped tightly in Sehun’s trembling hand.

“Thank you,” Chanyeol managed to get out, squeezing his eyes closed for a second to force the blur away.

“Any time, Seongwang,” Sehun muttered from beside him, the dull thud of something small - the arrow - landing beside Chanyeol on the ground.

“Sehun-” Chanyeol began, but Sehun cut him off with a shake of his head.

“Not now,” he said, reaching behind him to pull out his bow. “We have time for that later, for now you just stay down.”

Chanyeol was pretty sure he was mostly unable to move, so that would not be hard. It was horrible, though, hearing the sound of battle around him and being unable to do anything to help. He was completely useless, and he  _ hated _ it.

And not only was he completely useless in the fight, but he was also a stationary and rather large target - and considering how he had been the one to get shot, apparently due to his status, it was not as if he would be ignored as the soldiers focused solely on the four still being a threat. No, he was just lying there, waiting to be shot again, knowing that the other were fighting hard to keep any projectiles from reaching him.

Useless and worthless.

Chanyeol had no idea for how long the fight continued around him, unable to make proper sense of time as he blearily blinked at everything going on around him. More and more time seemed to pass every time he closed his eyes, until he opened his eyes once more to find all of the soldiers that had stayed behind having been incapacitated. And after the next blink he found Baekhyun, Kyungsoo and Jongin seated around him too, involved in some hushed whispering with Sehun that Chanyeol was not quite able to make out.

“Bloody hell, that doesn’t look good,” Jongin muttered all of a sudden, eyes most likely on the arrow wound in Chanyeol’s chest.

And Chanyeol really wanted to snark at the man, the instinct was  _ strong _ to do so, but Chanyeol did not have the energy for it. All he managed to get out was a weak laugh.

“Is he going into shock or something?” Baekhyun mumbled, looking even more nervous as it caused Chanyeol to laugh even more. “We need to get him out of here, he obviously needs help.”

“I know a place not far from here,” Sehun spoke up, moving to grab one of Chanyeol’s arms, Jongin going for the other. “Let’s hope they didn’t get to the automobile.”

“I’ll go check,” Chanyeol heard Kyungsoo say - and then he was being tugged upright, the pain searing through him and having him cry out before he managed to clench his jaw shut.

The way back out through the fortress ruin was long and torturous, but thankfully they did not run into any straggling creatures. As far as Chanyeol knew, at least, because he was rather sure that he blacked out for stretches of their way back.

He was awake when they finally exited the ruin, though, feeling a bone-deep relief fill him at the sight of headlights. The automobile seemed fine, which would for sure make things easier for them.

It took the combined strength of Sehun, Jongin and Baekhyun to help Chanyeol into the automobile without aggravating his injuries too much, but it was still enough to have Chanyeol black out as soon as he was seated, not even knowing who he collapsed onto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goguryeo's protector is the yong (용) which is a dragon (like the Chinese variant, not the European one), and Silla's protector is the bonghwang (봉황) which is sort of like the Korean variant of a Phoenix, yet not. Look up the Chinese fenghuang if you want more information on the bonghwang!


End file.
